Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Have 9/11 Analogies in Infosec become the new Godwin's Law?

Perhaps some may consider this blog blasphemous but I really think invoking 9/11 (and yes I remember it well, I went into work early that blue-sky-September morning to get ready for a concall with a Cisco EMBU team out in San Jose and after the 2nd tower was hit, a bunch of us went a conference room in Building 3 and watched the towers fall live then went home early to be with our families) has become tiresome and I've had it with infosec practitioners (or presidential candidates) invoking 9/11 for marketing (or political) purposes.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

No political agendas.

I worked for United Airlines at the time of the 9/11 incident. Also, I lost a good friend that day, a fellow police officer.

I know that you prefer that I "stay on target". But always being soooo focused on something, you sometimes forget the real purpose of why you do what you do.

I do what I do not for money, not for power, not even for pleasure, but because it *needs* to be done.

9/11 gave me a reason.

It gave me a purpose.

It gave me 2 years of no work to think about it.

And when you are forced to eating (quite literally) dog food because you cannot afford much of anything else, then you might understand.

I don't say what I say to piss you off, and for that, I am sorry.

But have a little heart.

Someday...you'll be in similar circumstances.

Matt Franz said...

We all have our reasons for doing things or not doing things. And I can respect that.

The memory (and fears brought about by) 9/11 has been abused (and continues to be abused) so the less it is invoked the better.

And personally I think the less flag waving (even if I happen to agree with it) on technical mailing lists the better.

That is what blogs are for ;)

But hey your the moderator....